Businesses vent about possible bridge closure near Bartonsville

Saturday

Sep 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Business owners worried about a possible one-year shutdown of a Route 611 bridge near Bartonsville need to present an alternative to the state Department of Transportation, says a developer who has plenty of experience with PennDOT roadwork.

DAVID PIERCE

Business owners worried about a possible one-year shutdown of a Route 611 bridge near Bartonsville need to present an alternative to the state Department of Transportation, says a developer who has plenty of experience with PennDOT roadwork.

Jim Ertle was among about a dozen people who met Friday morning at the PennDOT maintenance building in Stroud Township. They gathered for a meeting with PennDOT officials that was postponed until 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Pocono Township municipal building. But the business operators took the opportunity to vent about how the closure will negatively impact their businesses.

Ertle developed about a dozen stores and restaurants along Route 611 in Bartonsville, near the intersection of Routes 611 and 33. Ertle's company invested $3 million in required nearby road improvements for the Crossroads plaza project, including additional turning lanes and traffic lights.

Current plans for rebuilding the Route 611 Pocono Creek bridge near Bartonsville call for a one-year closure starting this month, with northbound traffic detoured around the bridge via Bartonsville Avenue. It is unclear whether the detour would be in place for the entire year or just for part of the construction schedule.

A complete bridge closure might be the best solution if coupled with an around-the-clock work schedule, Ertle said.

"It's going to be a mess no matter what," Ertle said. "My suggestion is to get a tight timeline. It's going to be better to crunch it down to two months than to run it for a year."

The bridge work appears to be for a needed safety improvement, he said, but contractor Leeward Construction could be required by PennDOT to work two or three daily shifts to speed up the process.

"I'd never be allowed to do the schedule they're on," Ertle said.

Danny Brown of nearby Colonial Auto Sales said the long construction schedule is his biggest concern.

"My main concern is one year for a project that should take three or four months," Brown said. "It's an insult to the community."

The area already has excessive traffic on 611 and Interstate 80, combined with frequent closures for emergencies, Brown said.

Carol Masten of Little Discoveries Daycare said she worries that emergency vehicles won't be able to get to her business when necessary.

The bridge work is going to present logistical problems for buses servicing the Monroe Career and Technical Institute, Brown said.

Another problem, said Ertle, is that PennDOT has never coordinated the traffic signal sequence at Route 611 and Rimrock Road with other traffic signals, causing massive backups as people get off I-80.

"The state should have changed that light out," Ertle said. "But again, the state doesn't have any money. They throw it on the developers" to pay for road improvements when seeking nearby development approvals.

Ertle also urged meeting attendees to work with state Reps. Mario Scavello, R-176, and Rosemary Brown, R-189, and Pocono Township officials to reduce construction time. He said the PennDOT district, based in Allentown, isn't responsive to Monroe County needs unless there is political pressure.